Lea: Origins
by rysc
Summary: How did Axel come to be? All Nobodies were a somebody at one point in time. This is Axel's past. This is Lea's story.
1. Chapter 1: Radiant Gardens

The wheel continued to spin. Every grove of the machine matched up perfectly as the process carried on. Snaking through the grove, the fibers slowly twisted and collected at the end of their dance to gently fall into the basket. Of course the final rest was no surprise to Lea, he had nothing better to do than to watch his mother, Teleaf, work endlessly during the spring day.

During most of the year Radiant Gardens served as a fantastic place to live with ordinary people with smiling faces, but the spring was its one down fall. Flowers blooming and sun blaring the atmosphere lit like a furnace and cooked its residence into submission of quick labor or isolation. Lea actually quiet enjoyed it; it matched his hair. No one, not even his mother, understood where the fiery locks originated from but none the less they made sure that everyone knew they were there. Standing as a protected tropical island though where his eye. Forest green and great for penetrating into the soul, Lea had learned to use both his eyes and hair to their fullest potential.

The clicking of boots quickly awoke Lea from his lolling day dream and he jumped up and headed for the stairs as his mother's back became straight and posed, perfect posture. Taking them two or three at a time, Lea just made the landing and rounded the corner when the door was thrown open revealing a pompously fat man with stubbly double chin. Starin took up most of the doorway with his glutinous middle and the rest was filled with the pride that only an idiot can possess. Lea hated the man and his mother tolerated him, what else was a widowed woman to do? After Axel's father had died Teleaf had no other choice but to move in with the distasteful landlord to keep herself and her boy from the Outlands.

Lea's rage pulsed his vision as he flattened out across his bed. A slight breeze tried to calm him, but to no means. The dreaded man represented nothing but anger for him. He grit his teeth and envisioned his mother beating out steaks for the carnivore to feast on below him but knew that the image was only his imagination trying to help distort his reality. Teleaf was strong but she shouldn't have to be.

A light with the power of the sun broken through Lea's window and he shunned his eyes to dampen the sting. Just when the pain was about to incapacitate him everything went dark. Adrenaline coursed through his body. Lea had only ever experience something like this once before. It couldn't be possible. Why would a Key-blade Master visit them?

Lea racked his brain and immediately felt his stomach drop. If the Master was here for the Unversed Lea was in for it. Simply acting under a dare from the three ducklings in town he had gone out to one of the meadows just outside the massive gates to the city and drawn the crude hearts symbol. Nothing happen for a solid five minutes and just went he thought of returning to teach the triplets a lesson a dark purple flame erupt and filled the gashes in the ground. Manifesting from the artificial shadows multiple speeding creatures darted from the scene and headed to the cities sewers. It pasted so fast Lea would have pushed it off as a dream had it not been for the blacked, charred heart that remained as a relic.


	2. Chapter 2: The Key-blade Master

Shimmying the window to its capacity, Lea extended out the side of cobble stoned house and gripped the drainage pipe. With a swift pounce followed by a gut wrenching fall he quickly found his footing. He was used to it. There had been many practices of escape from Starin to account for. Raising the hood of his jacket to mask the blaze the teen strolled into the square and continued towards the alleys on to Town's Center where he suspected the landing had taken place.

Bam!

As he rounded the corner a shadow unversed slammed him to the ground, his head narrowly missing a door step ledge.

"Take that!'

"Ha!"

Shouts filled the walkway with furious yet smooth rage. More Unversed poured out into the alley and seamed to congregate in preparation for the oncoming attack. Lea didn't know what to expect. Unversed were not something to be messed with. Not even the guards at the palace stood a chance to the weak members of the strange species.

Holding his breath, Lea prepped for the famed Master Eraqus to leap from the alley and obliterate the manifestations of darkness. Instead Lea's breath left him for another reason. A young man, about the same age as himself strode into view.

Not only was this not the Master that he was expecting but the kid did not look old enough to be off world, let alone trained in the mysterious arts. Finally overcoming the shock, he had time to study the boy as he grunted and chopped away at the defenseless creatures. Slightly shorter than himself, the Key-blade wielder wore tight white clothes and had bleached blonde hair to match. With the constant movement of battle Lea hadn't the chance to see his face; however, he did notice an odd movement of the Key.

Unversed leaped high above the boy but he casually flicked his wrist and tore deep into the substance that formed the animals. Once broken, the remnants of the beasts scattered like smoke and slowly settled on the cobble. The teen finished, looking more like he had just cleaned a chimney than defeated an army of darkness. He turned towards Lea who had since stood to watch the battle unfold. Lea now understood the difference in the fighting style: this particular wielder held the weapon in his left hand. Left handedness was practically unheard of in Radiant Gardens but to see a Key-blade in one threw him for a loop.

Lea's eyes slowly wondered up the other finally reaching his face. High cheekbones and slightly taught skin gave the male well placed features. But what really stood out were his eyes. Blue like the sky, or possibly the ocean (Lea wouldn't know he had never seen one), the eyes drew in Lea and he quickly pocketed his hands to pull his pants tight and suppress an urge. 'Where did that come from?' flashed through his mind. 'Wait the boy is moving.'

Starring back with a genuine grin, the boy raised his hand in greeting.

"Hi! I'm Ventus, what's your name?"


	3. Chapter 3: Ventus

Making a permanent mental note, Lea quickly releasing one hand, making sure to maintain tension with the other, and completed the hand gesture. "The name is Lea, why are you here though?"

Bemusement flashed over Ventus' face but immediately returned to the warm smile. "One of my friends recently left our world and I have been searching for him since. You wouldn't have happen to seen a man with brown hair and about this tall?" Ventus extended his arms much past his own length, and Lea thought he saw him lift to the toes of his shoes.

A smirk surfaces on Lea's face but shook his head. This Ventus was kinda a goof, but in a weird way it fit him perfectly.

Lea realized he had been starring and tried to play it off by looking at the sky and then scrutinizing the ground. There was no need. Ventus appeared to be pondering his next move when a sound somewhere between a whistle in the wind and a scream interrupted both their thoughts.

A glint beat in the blue eyes and his face lit with anticipation. "That'll be more Unversed! I know you don't have a weapon but if you want you can tag along as I take them out."

Having no excuse not to, Lea followed his new acquaintance through multiple back alleys and in to the palace gardens. Seeming to ooze from the shade of the plants, Unversed swarmed throughout. The Key-blade wielder casually flipped his precious extension and darted towards the mass of blackish purple. Standing in awe, Lea watched as the battle took place. Not much was different from the brawl in the square except for the exponential amount of creatures that charged the boy in white.

A geyser of Flood Unversed burst forth, each with their own weaselly like appearance that faded into nothingness, and drenched the teen in their numbers. Ventus propped onto one foot, leaned slightly forward, and then propelled himself in a spiral with the kick-start from his other leg. He could hear his legs screaming from the extreme use of the day. They might hurt tomorrow but right now there were more important things to deal with. Coming out of his pirouette, Ventus squared himself again one of the Bruisers head his way. Waiting til the last second he sidestepped the behemoth and piece the soft backside, sending him on to oblivion.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a floating species appeared behind Ventus. Occupied with the attacks from the front, he had not chance at seeing the mass collecting energy in front of its beak. Lea recognized the move. The attack was strong and, depending on the experience of the performer, could quickly collect the energy needed to leave devastating effects.

"Ventus, duck!" Bellowed Lea.

Ventus jumped, twisted, and flipped up just as the blast issued from the source and scorched the ground he had just stood upon. Now with the upper hand and height Ventus jabbed his Key into the cap of the attacker. A sharp note issued from the source and then joined its brothers in the heap of ash that covered the ground.

Turning half-circle and smiling with a fraction of his mouth, Ventus gave a slight nod of appreciation and then sliced the last Unversed behind his back. How he had known there was one there, Lea hadn't the faintest.

Jumping up to congratulate the teen, he stumbled but regained his balance in time for a slight embrace. 'That stupid feeling again...' Lea made a note to control that.

Pulling back Ventus gave a full teeth smile and said calmly, "You can call me Ven, Ventus is just a formality." Lea replied with a nod. "And now that we are friends there is something I need from you. Take off you jacket."

Feeling hot, at least more than normal, Lea obliged and offered over the garment.

"Place it on the ground and then step back here by me." Again Lea followed the orders and took his stance looking down at the flatten fabric. Ven raised the massive Key in his hand and directed the tip at the center, where Lea's heart would be should it be on. With a massive burst of light the Key connected with the jacket, producing a glow as intense as the flowers in Town Center. After a few seconds the light dissipated but left a piece of sting floating before them.

It dawned on Lea what it was the pull string from his hood, he could tell because of the chew marks that lined each of the ends. As he examined it the fibers glowed quickly and snapped in half. Two Perfect segments remained and floated into the hands of each boy.

"What just happened?" asked Lea inquisitively.

"Apparently this means something to you," explained Ven. "The Key-blade will find an object of value and connect two people, no matter how far apart they are." Fumbling within his pockets Ven finally retracted a blue and green glowing star. A ring encompassed the bright center and was adorned with other random objects. Ven made room on the metal and tied the string fastly around. "There, whenever you need me just rub that string and I will know."

Still uncertain about the workings of it, Lea decided to let it fly and figure it out later. He nodded at the new friend. 'Friend, that's a new word.'

They both starred at each other for a few seconds and right before Lea was about to break the silence, a blue-green flash erupt from Ven's hand.

"Now, why now?" His new companion rolled his eyes and quickly a look of pity. "I'll be back soon." Or at least that is what Lea heard. As the last lines of speech were uttered Ven had been collapsed through what had appeared to be a vortex. It was almost like the charm had sucked him into itself. And with that he was gone.

Lea gathered his clothes and newly purposed string. It was getting late and his mother would soon be up to his room with supper. He sprinted through the streets and bound onto a crate outside his window. Thrusting all his weight upwards he caught the edge of the splintered window with his nails, feeling the wood work its way underneath and irritating the raw skin. With one last grunt Lea pulled himself through the window and crashed onto the cushion of his bed.

Just as he let out a trembling breath a slight knock on the door announced his mother's arrival. "Dinner!"


	4. Chapter 4: The Apprentice

Compared to the excitement of the day, nothing noteworthy occurred in the hours of the night. Starin was his usual wonderful self and graced the mother and son with his plethora of obscene language and violent actions as he tore through the meal.

Food particles collected in the gnarls of facial hair as the monster devoured it unsuspecting prey. Lea flinched and held bit his tongues as remnants of the attack flew across the wooden table and landed before him. He would never look like that.

As the last piece of meat guzzled down Starin's throat, which expanded slightly to accommodate the massive load, the teen slipped from the table, placed his plate on the counter, and bolted up the stairs. Finally away from the pungent stench that was the lard below him, Le allowed himself a full breath that filled his lungs and rejuvenated his limbs. The day had been long. Nothing ever occurred in Lea's life and this crazed exposure to other worldly things had taken its toll.

Pulling back the sheets of his bed, Lea simultaneously slithered out of his clothes and left the heap on the floor. Wrapping tight in the wrinkled fabric, he covered his head with the sheet and enveloped his thoughts in darkness. What was to become of his new friend? Ven had come and gone in almost a breath but Lea was assured by his midsection that the events and the boy were indeed real.

Finally past the point of exhaustion, the smooth darkness of sleep pulled him under.

The sun rose and caught on Lea's exuberant hair, he must have tossed in his sleep. Piercing the slits of his eyelids, the sun slowly convinced him to return to consciousness. Groaning and rolling to bury his face deep into his pillow, the boy tried to pass back into the peaceful slumber but without luck.

Giving in he tumbled out of the mass of sheets and sat up on the floor to survey the day. Dawn had just broken and the haze of night had not fully parted from the atmosphere. With another resolute grunt he twisted and propped up to his feet and made for the shower.

Refreshed and still slightly moist Lea donned his garments and sneaked down to the ground floor. At this early hour Starin and Teleaf would still be in rest and though it gave him a slight twinge to leave without informing his mother he did not wish to remain for the slumbering animal to arise.

Leaning his weight on the door and minutely turning the knob it quietly opened and he slipped through and out into the morning air.

There was no question, Lea would arrive early for training. His teacher would not mind through. Lea was not entirely sure that he slept in the first place. Rounding a few alley corners he reached the center that held his place of study. A crude sign with multi-colored swirls swung precariously over the door but provided no insight as what truly took place behind the slightly tarnished walls.

Lea peaked through the window and confirmed his suspicion. The lanky man bounced around the room clearly immersed in his work without the faintest indication of exhaustion. His tall blue hat threatened to jab the ceiling with each step the man took while his beard swept the floor as he maneuvered the room.

Tearing himself from the view, the boy continued along the wall until he reached the door and fiddled the handle to enter.

A flash burst forth as Lea entered followed by a stream of smoke that originated from a cauldron. Waving his arms like a bird, the elder desperately moved to disperse the soot and relieve the room of the smell. Smoke clearing, his eyes found Lea and pure delight gushed through his wrinkled features.

Lea had always liked the old man. In response to the warm welcome he nodded and greeted him, "Good morning Merlin."


	5. Chapter 5: The Sorcerer

The bright grin remained as Merlin motioned for the boy to come closer and join him. Capping the concoction that simmered within the cauldron, the older man started to flap his arms in a beating motion that mimicked that of a percussionist.

A few paces in front of him white whisps seeped out of the floor and coagulated into an illuminating blossom taller the Lea's hair and pulsed with white light. Lea tried to hide his wonderment but he could feel it leak onto his face.

"Today we move past the world of text and literature and journey into the realm of practice." Merlin's croaky voice penetrated the room. The teen's interest peaked and he continued to stare in anticipation.

Popping to his toes Merlin continued, "Let begin. Follow me." With a slight bounce the man and his beard meandered towards the light and stepped in. Then he was gone.

Bewilderment issued through Lea's mind but he quickly followed in step, eager to discover what was in store. As he passed into the beaming light he felt the reality of the room fade behind him while at the same time a new one formed.

Brilliant blades of grass and curved hills unraveled before him, each step forward making the scene slightly less opaque and more vibrant. Finally back to the full color spectrum, Lea twisted his head and observed the landscape. It was a simple meadow but the forest the encompassed it circled around and formed a makeshift coliseum completely obscured from outside eyes by the thick and towering oaks.

His eyes eventually landed on the pointed hat and focused his attention on the limber man. "What we will be doing today is harnessing the elements of our world: Ice, Water, Electricity, and Fire. I will show you a display of each and then have you demonstrate them back. You will be learning to power each as part of our training but the one that connects with you that most will be our focus. The feeling is hard to explain but you will soon enough understand."

Bending back and cracking the bottom of his spine, Merlin started a swimming motion and swirled his wrists to produce the enchantments. White flashed before them and Lea felt his innards spasm as that desperately fought of the bitter cold that ensued. Hovering a few feet of the ground was a crystalline flake that rotated about its middle. Just as Lea was getting used to it the old wizard popped it out of existence.

With the next flamboyant movement the old man caused the earth to rumble. The ground split and released a fountain of water. Spiraling into the sky, the liquid rose and then crashed back down bubbling around the humans. Once the half sphere had formed it erupt and dispersed the water throughout the field to be reabsorbed.

The next move that was performed involved much more arm flapping and most of it above the head. Lea's senses burned as he both smelt and tasted sulfur becoming more concentrated. Suddenly a crash landed between the two and sent shockwaves of electricity rippling through the ground. Steadying himself, Lea prepped for the final display.

Unlike all of the other acts, Merlin kept his motions relatively still. Swaying in a slight back and forth and gently twisting his wrists he slowly warmed the area. It started as a basic flame that appeared before the elder but quickly grew into an inferno. Not content with its size Merlin continued to pour more energy into the blaze until he formed a small sun. Lea averted his eyes while the sorcerer collapsed the star into nothingness.

Slightly giddy from the power that he just expressed Merlin faced his pupil. "Okay, now let's see what you can do."


	6. Chapter 6: Test of Magic

Lea reigned in his focus and strained to remember how to call forth the elements. He honed in on the page in his mind's eye and read from the tome:

_Magic can be summoned through two different means- White or Dark magic. The former gains its power from emotions that represent the elemental being summoned, for example Fire can be brought forth with a memory of a stove. The latter initiates from darkness within the heart, for example a dark memory of a family member from which the summoner simply thinks the elements and lets their thoughts envelop the desired product. _

_White magic is intrinsically stronger than the Dark counterpart and it is said to be much harder to hone and master the art. Many Master of Dark tried to manipulate the power to overcome the bringers of light but failed in their attempts. It is rumored that the experiments of their work resulted in the first Unversed. _

Bring his attention back from his thoughts the teen quickly decided to challenge himself and do his best at White magic. Merlin would not judge him for choosing the other but would appreciate the attempt.

With eyes closed, Lea wracked his brain in search of thoughts of ice. He locked on to the first, and only, snow that Radiant Gardens had experience in his life time. Stepping into the memory, Lea shivered as the cold wrapped his conscience and snow tricked over his bare skin. A slight flick of his wrist and the frost pulsed through his veins, surging to his fingertips. The ice floated before him and he could feel it was of his own doing. Letting the memory fade, Lea's mind returned to the field and watched the crystal melt away. Glee apparent on every inch of his face, Merlin gave a nod of encouragement and awaited the next demonstration.

Water. What was a memorable moment of water? Again searching deep into his past, Lea rest on one from his childhood. As a young kid Teleaf had taken the boy to the Felix Fountain on the far east side of the city. Known for its massive size and crystal clear water, it was a frequent of those looking to take a dip and escape the brutal rays of the sun. Lea felt himself submerge his pointed hair below the surface and mimicked the wrist motion from before. A small whirlpool interrupted the scene and snapped him back to the field. By the time his eye had adjust to the blaring light the water had already dissipated into the ground and air.

Disappointed with his display, Lea moved on to the next without missing a beat. The next was easy. The only time he had experience Lightning at all was through the work of his teacher's magic. Imagining the bitter taste, he started to concentrate Sulfur in higher quantities in his mind. Willing energy through the air, the boy jolted as the backs of his hands tensed and produced the spark for the strike. Lea was ready to watch but averted his vision as the light burned into his cornea.

Slightly panting and a sweat forming under his arms he looked for his final inspiration.

Racing through the catalog of memories he realized there were multiple options; however, a group was collected and dark in the corner of his vault. He touched the thought but immediately removed his hand as the scene was engulfed by fire. A man stood in front of him. His features indistinct due to the flames that danced over every part of his being. Lea watched and horror and tumbled backwards and touched upon another segment of his past. Stoked by a younger version of his mother was a simple furnace. Quickly grabbing onto the warmth, Lea almost automatically swished his wrist created the blaze on his own. He was desperate to exit his mind and promptly returned to the meadow.

The teen went tense as he continued to stare into flames. Surrounding him I a column was a fiery twister that relentlessly circled into the sky. Anxiety built as the walls of the inferno drew closer to the center, the boy. But, he wasn't feeling the heat. Lea's face contorted as he searched for an explanation of the phenomenon. Pulling ever closer the flames finally touched then consumed him. Energy coursed through his body as it absorbed the blame and contained the work. After completely taking in the storm, Lea looked up and towards his teacher.

Merlin's features were indistinguishable. Suddenly he burst into the air and released a hoot and holler. "I guess we found your strength!"

Lea grinned and nodded. He was excited to have pleased the sorcerer but felt a nag on his stomach as he saw the man in his thoughts again. That had only been one of the group. The teen shivered in the thought of what the other held.


	7. Chapter 7: Practice

As the shivers secede Lea's body tightened up, convulsed, and he fell face forward onto the ground. Before making contact with though his brain went blank and he passed out, preventing him from experiencing the ripple of pain that coursed across his body.

Light slowly started to pierce the darkness of oblivion and the teen cautiously opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. Coming back to his senses Lea remembered the weird series of events that had led up to the moment of darkness.

Peering around the room he quickly identified the landmark of Merlin's cauldron and confirmed that he was in fact back in the magician's home.

"Ah! You're awake!" the old man croaked and shuffled over to his apprentices' side. "That was a nasty occasion and uncommonly rare. Most people don't touch their maximum expression until years of training and control have passed. What happened boy? What was the idea that drove your energy?"

Lea's worries had been confirmed. Something was different about the dark scenes that he had witnessed, though didn't remember. Was it possible he had extracted energy from both White and Dark? He made a mental note to look up this possibility but for now he would hide it. Not only would Merlin worry about the corner of his mind but he would also have to expose that darkness lurked within him. Now was not the time.

"I chose a memory of my mother tending to a stove. The thing that energized me was the warmth of the flames, that's all." Lea felt a twinge in his chest as he breathed the lie but quickly overcame it when the sorcerer's features relaxed.

"Well then. Looks like we have an exceptionally powerful Fire Mage in our midst!" The twinkle in Merlin's eye and the beaming smile he produced only did more to push the truth deeper down. A slight smile came from the boy's face and then it fell back to it stagnant expression.

Quickly examining Lea one last time before approving him to be good to move, Merlin released him from their studies and urged, "Please go home and get some rest. We are finished for today but this is the start. You will have to learn to control that blast within you and it will take time. But for now, sleep."

Groggily pacing down the alleys he stopped as a group of men in lab coats cut him off. Looking hushed and intent in conversation, they didn't even notice the Lea was there. He continued on his stumbley path, pondering who the men were, and finally reached his house. Pressing with his full weight he opened the door and stumbled in. Flashing a smile at his mother, who was working away at a new batch of wool, and made his way up the stairs. Dumping himself onto the bed he fell into the dream world in only a few breaths and losing all thought of the men in white.

Lea awoke the next morning completely rejuvenated and suspected it was the work of Cure on his body. He had known that Merlin was totally within his powers to conjure up the mystical spell but he didn't realize the distance that his work could travel.

Slipping out of is covers, he went through his morning routine. The door squeaked on its hinges as he slid in the room and took his place next to the man in blue.

Merlin through a few last bushels of a strange weed into the soup, twirled his hand over the top, and then capped the bowl. "Well that is settled for now. On to the day's work."

Stepping away from the tables and cauldron he created the misty white portal. Knowing what awaited him Lea did not hesitate to follow but found himself in a different destination then the previous day.

Gravel, sand, and boulders spread in every direction and extended for as far as his eyes could see. Minor dust storms strung up every so often but died out relatively quickly.

"Given the events of yesterday, I would rather not be responsible for burning down the small remnants of forest that surround our town. This location however, should suffice for the inferno that we will try to contain and control." Though Merlin's words came off a little harsh, Lea could see the traces of awe that the old man had had during the demonstration.

"Now, to begin. Go to your memories and lightly tap into the thought that produced the flames."

The boy absently closed his eyes and flicked through the scenes in his head. Handing at the vision of his mother he placed his palm on the scene but did not allow for it to envelope his surroundings, simply stay as the window that he could peer through.

Non-the-less, Lea was able to feel the warmth emanating from the hearth and circled his wrist to activate the spell. Snapping back to reality, he watched as a column of fire rose to the heavens and then vanished into nothingness.

"Not quite as contained as we want, but a great deal more than the hurricane that ensued before." An encouraging smile urged him to try yet again to contain his power.

Lea entered back into the vault of his memories and once again moved through them to find his mother. As he passed through the collect he felt the presence of those select dark memories in the corner of his vision. He pushed his focus forward and made sure to block out his peripherals.

Finally he reached the familiar scene and instead of placing the full meat of his hand on the window he just lightly touched his fingertips to the scene. Warmth energized him and he completed the ritual to summon Fire.

Opening his eyes, Lea was greeted by an orange orb that glowed slightly above his palm. Lea imagined the small sun levitating away from his hand and up to eye level and the element followed the thoughts.

Testing the control he had over the magic, the teen pictured the globe pulsing in size and then erupting into tiny sparks that would dance as they fell. Almost instantaneously the flames mimicked his imagination, only making the act much more beautiful in reality.

Delight pulled on the corners of his mouth and he turned to his teacher. "How was that? Is that the control you were looking for?"

Merlin nodded with delight, his ecstatic emotions not hidden at all within the wrinkles.

"I think that is enough for today. To home and other things to do." Lea looked perplexed and stared into the sky. The sun had started to set behind the dunes of sand. _The journeys into my mind must have taken much longer than they seemed. _The boy wondered how he would make the act faster. In his mind only a few seconds had passed.

As the two men entered into the mist between locations, the younger saw a white tail flap from behind one of the massive rocks. Playing it off as a trick of the mind due to the labor he had put it through he entered into the other end of the portal. Not yet wanting to return to his home, Lea stayed in the magician's layer and helped with a few potions before heading to his dwelling.


	8. Chapter 8: History Lesson

Lea rolled his head off of his pillow and slowly exposed his eyes to the morning sun. Almost every muscle from his torso up burned with rejuvenating energy. The training was taking a much larger physical toll on him than would have imagined.

Slowly pushing himself up to a seated position, he could feel the lactic acid drain from the strained muscles. Pushing through he started his daily routine and walk the smooth cobble path to Merlin's house.

Something was off as he entered the layer of magic. The old man was usually bursting around and concocting some form of potion at this time of day. Lea scanned the room and found no aspect of movement of even life. He slowly inched his way deeper into the room and can up to the massive cauldron. Emanating heat, Lea guess that the blacken kettle held something within.

He carefully removed the iron lid and slid it on to the table behind him only to turn around to the wizard's face. Decapitated and floating slightly above the simmering liquid sat the head of Merlin. The essence of the apparition appeared to be the fume of the bubbling fluid that rest below.

Then the figure began to speak. "Hello there and welcome to Merlin's Magic Apothecary! If you are looking for a Cure please place your name on the list on the table by the door. If this is an emergency, contact the Gullwing Fairies as they probably have an object that can assist. If you are Lea, pour a drop of the white, opaque liquid in the potions cabinet into this solution." After the final words were spoken, the form dropped back into the cauldron leaving the room empty.

Glancing around, Lea locked on to the old piece of wooden furniture and fumbled with the tumbler the open it. The door creaked as the boy swung it open to its capacity and revealed row upon row of different remedies, poisons, and other materials that he didn't have the faintest idea were. Glossing through the inventory he finally eyed a small goose-necked flask whose contents mimicked that of a cloud.

Lea gripped the mixture and transitioned back to the pot and dispensed a single drop of the liquid into the vat. Smoke erupt from the cauldron again and condensed into the bust of Merlin. The apparition smile and continued his speech.

"Lea, I am sorry that I was not able to tell you this is person but an unfortunate circumstance arose about a little blonde boy. I don't know how long this will take me to deal with but I am confident enough in your abilities that I believe you can train on your own. Remember that practicing all Elements is important, but I am of the mind that perfecting Fire should be higher on your priority.'

"To return to the Outland Desert that we traveled to yesterday, simply place a drop of the potion that activated this on the ground, step into the portal, and concentrate precisely on the destination location. Make sure to bring the potion with you as you will need it for your return journey. Stay safe and practice. I hope to be back soon." And with that, the vapors again condensed. Lea replaced the lid and stood in the middle of the room. He had no doubt that he would be returning to the vast expanse of dirt to practice, but first he had some unanswered questions to take care of.

Lea strode over to the colossal bookshelf that took up an entire wall of the room and started to skim for the volume that would be most helpful. Most of the texts covered specific manifestations of magic including Elements as well as some others that Lea knew to hold the knowledge of Teleportation and Gravity manipulations. The latter where complex forms of magic that only those with extreme practice of the arts could harness, though Lea hoped he would eventually be able to harness that amount of energy.

Just when Lea was about to fold and travel on to his practice he eyes caught a tome near the end of the top row. Lea's eyes had a hard time adjusting to the book. The cover seemed to simultaneously emit and draw in light. The teen's brain danced and he barely kept his footing as he reached up and deshelved the book.

Pulling back the exterior of the massive text, he read _The Battle of White and Dark Magic_ on the title page. Lea's pulse quickened as he leafed through to find the chapter contents. Honing in on the page, he scanned and found what he was looking for- _The Combination of Dark and White. _

Sliding his finger across the title, he located the page that would get him to the information, page 767. Lea flipped through the degrading paper and landed on the chapter he was in search of. He started skimming through the text to find something that resembled the experience he had had. After a few pages of history of The Mage War, he finally came across a passage of the experiments done by Dark Wizards.

_One of the many experiments that the Masters of Dark tested included the combination of both White and Dark Magic. Two wizards stood within a pentagram clasping hands and each would summon a type of Magic. In most cases the forces seemed to inoculate the other but in a few freak occurrences a shimmer would appear between the two, burn extremely bright, and explode inward, leading the wizards on to the next life. _

Sweat collected on in the wrinkles of his hand and he quickly search for more explanation on the twisted combination. Page after page he turned but no other mention of the marriage appeared, just grotesque accounts of Dark sorcerers performing unfathomable deems.

Lea's hands shook to the beat of his heart as he gently reshelved the book. He quickly moved to grab the cloudish potion to the portal to start his practice. The text had unnerved him and he had no passion to remain in the room a moment longer. Dropping a single trickle onto the warmed wood floor, Lea backed away as the white mist created the window to the other land.

The boy stepped in, cleaned his wracked brain, and submerged himself in the memory of the day past. As the thought formed in his mind, Lea could feel the sun before him and he walked on to enter the arid environment.


	9. Chapter 9: Practice

The dry air penetrated through Lea's lungs as he drew in his breath. Surrounding him was the very familiar landscape of tanish brown that continued on for as far as his eyes could make out. Lea scanned the area and set to work in preparation for the day of practice.

He needed to speed up his spells, he understood that but just exactly how he would do that was another matter. Pulling the strings of his shoes, the boy unlaced the threads and removed the cushioned material from his foot. Lea then removed a small indent of sand from the ground and placed the shoe in an upright position which he then outlined with a circle. A shadow fell from the blaring sun light and crossed the circular boundary.

Bending over the shadow, Lea made a slight mark in the earth indicating the time at which he would start to summon his magic. Back pedaling, the boy kept his eyes on the makeshift clock and placed some distance from it to prevent any chance of incineration. The shifting material under his bare foot singed at its touch but he simply embraced the burn and ignored the throb of signals that were received by his brain.

Once at a safe distance Lea rolled his eyes shut and began the journey into his memories. Flicking through the thoughts he again landed on the room with his mother. Warmth enveloped his being and he twisted his wrist in ritual. Eyes flashing open, the boy came back to reality with the familiar pulsing orb hovering above his palm.

He quickly extinguished the small sun and paced back over to the shoe sun-dial. Shock flashed over his face as he starred at the clock. The shadow had moved a quarter of the way around its path. The boy shuddered at the thought. Lea had been completely incoherent of the physical world for three hours. What if something had happened? What if someone tried to attack him? They would have plenty of time to do it apparently, along with eat a full course meal before he would even be able to respond. He needed to fix this.

Wracking his brain, the teen pondered how to make the energy emanate faster. Lea first came across the idea that searching through his memories was what was taking a sizable amount of time. Maybe if he went into the dream world with the precognition of the chosen scene it would divulge faster.

Returning to his stance a few meters away from his time-telling clothing he fully pictured the scene and dove into the world of thought. Appearing right before him, he quickly touched the window and went through the motions to return to his arid landscape. The same ball as he produced previously danced over his hand but that was not what he held interest in. Lea threw the ball at one of the nearby boulders causing it to explode on impact and leave a black skid on the rocky surface.

Shifting his gaze to the circle he stepped forward to mark his latest lap. A slight grin tugged at his cheek as he noted the difference in location. From what he could tell about thirty minutes to an hour had passed with the attempt. Nothing close to perfect, but much more so than the sad displays before.

Rejuvenated with the new-found success, Lea gestured through the motions again and again trying to minimize the time spent away from the present. As the sun started to shimmer its last rays behind the earthy hills to the north, the teen finally resigned to returning to town and back to his mother. Teleaf would want to hear about this as long as Starin wasn't around. The family had grown with the Arts engrained in its history but the sourly pungent man saw it as no more than a devil's trick.

As an adolescent Lea's innocent mouth let slip that he studied under Merlin which generated a raging storm of bright words and threatenings of removal from the residence. The young boy's mother weathered the front with a stoic face and rigid posture until the cross monster retracted its claws from their strenuous activity. Teleaf calmly reasoned that her child was creative and had had dreams about practicing under the known sorcerer and that he was in fact working in a saw mill. Not only would the occupation account for the lack of sun that the boy got in the magician's layer but also allow for the potential burns and smells that might result from a day with Merlin. What Lea truly did had been their secret since.

Lea pulled himself back from the thought and rummaged his pockets for the liquid solution that would take him back. He dropped a miniscule amount and stepped through the veil between realities.


	10. Chapter 10: Long Distance Call

Entering the calm and warm house, Lea raked the scene to find the woman that cared for him. Gently propped on a stool in the corner of the kitchen sat his mother reading a very tattered book. As he approached Teleaf glanced up and quickly repositioned the text out of sight. The teen thought he saw a slight flash of something in her eyes but it was quickly washed away by the warm smiles the played on her cheeks.

"How were your studies today hunny?" her smooth voice questioned.

Lea gave a slight grin and told her of the new progress he had made but also relieved his lack of knowledge for getting faster in his endeavors. The older woman twisted her brow in thought and then returned her gaze to her son.

Teleaf's face slightly tensed and she held out her hand towards the boy. The heat of the room vanished and was replaced by an icey chill that penetrated to Lea's bones. He glanced at the palm and hovering above it was a fist sized snowflake. Dancing in the evening sun the crystal warped the light and created fantastic displays along the walls of the dwelling. Something tugged at the edge of Lea's conscience but as he put his attention to it, it slipped away.

"It has been quite some time since the last time I have done that," his mother said with a grin. She casually closed her fist causing the solid water to disappear and the room's environment to return to its natural state. "My method is one of many paths that you can take to achieve the manifestation, so tell me what you have done and I will see what I know."

"Before slipping into unconsciousness with the scenes of the past I try to remember the thought so that it is open for me to call on the power." Lea saw her eyes glisten slightly with the understanding that only comes from knowledge.

"Perfect. That is the technique that I use as well. The way to minimize the time that you spend in the memorial environment is to do what you have started. Envelope yourself in the through before entering the subconscious and lightly pull at the veil between the parts of your mind." The woman stood and leaned forward to her son, placing a soft kiss upon his forehead. Gently guiding one the Lea's stray hairs behind his ear she softly continued, "You will get there. I have every faith in you." Releasing him from their close encounter Teleaf flashed a smile, turned, and digressed to her seat.

The two sat in silence for a time until the calm was interrupted by the hoofing sound of air trying to escape a corpulent prison. With no desire to view and address the pungent adult Lea swung from his chair and up into the secure quarters of his room.

As the sun sent its last few rays of light through his window the teen sprawled out across his mattress and attempted to strategize with the information provided by his mother. A twinge of satisfaction manifested as he realized his instincts held truth but it faded as the daunting task over actually overcoming this wall reentered his mind.

The boy went through multiple different paths of thought to seek out a solution. Perhaps the memory he had been using wasn't strong enough. Maybe an emotion had to be tied to the warmth along with the sensation. Spinning and spinning is his mind he jumped from one idea to another and absentmindedly stroked a cord that lay under the corner of his pillow.

All the thinking about his fire memories created a warmth that spread from his hand. Wait. No. Something was burning his fingertips.

Rolling to his side and raising the cushion he saw what he immediately recognized as the string from his jacket. The frailed ends seemed to communicate with one another as they sent pulses of energy to their distant partners. Eyes wide in shock, Lea whisper, "Ven?"

After the name was spoken the string hovered up to the height of the teens face a popped with a brilliant burst of light before falling back to its place on the bed.

Bewildered at the old display sustained visual contact with the material until his eyes started to sag. The weight of the day finally overtook the dominant presence in his mind and dragged him into the world of sleep.

With a small twist Lea unscrewed the cap of the cloudy potion's vial. He placed a drop on the center floor stone of the magician's study and waited as the mist blossomed from the ground and coagulated into his portal for travel.

A soft warm breeze greeted his cheeks as he stepped through to the other side and the familiar landscape condensed into reality. Getting his bearings his eyes latched on to the makeshift clock that remained from his previous day. His back bent as he leaned over and pulled at the fabric of his shoes so to place it back in its throne of the sun.

Once the mechanism was in place he backed up some distance and closed his eyes to run through the mental process of the summoning of power. A light radiated the darkness provided by his eyelids and he blinked them open to find its source.

Standing before him, and still somewhat pulsing, in a ring of lit ground was the blonde haired male.

"Ven?" Déjà vu percolated his mind from the night before.

The newcomer brushed off his clothing and then locked eyes with the redhead. "Yep! I'm here. You called?"


End file.
